Fun Curriculum Bridges Educational Gap for Refugee Kids in US

Weekly,
one can find recently resettled refugee preschoolers from around the world and
their parents in apartment clubhouses throughout Fort Worth, Texas, singing,
dancing, reading and learning.

“Put your
finger in the air, in the air. Put your finger in the air, …” is just one of
the many songs that refugee preschoolers in the “Ready for School” program love
to sing.

Using
music and silly motions, the children learn English vocabulary as well as
practice gross and fine motor skills.

“Ready
for School” is a literary-based preschool curriculum that I developed in
partnership with Literacy Connexus to help prepare non-English
and limited English speaking 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers and their parents as
they enter school in the U.S.

The idea
for this curriculum grew out of the recognition of the growing number of
refugee children who were entering pre-kindergarten or kindergarten without the
necessary skills to succeed.

The
preschoolers were literally years behind their American peers.

Families
in the program come from Burma, Nepal, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and
Congo.

Many of
their parents’ home countries do not have children’s literature in their first
language. Culturally, there is no history of parents reading to their children.

Some of
the refugee parents have limited English language skills, and very few homes have
children’s books.

Recognizing
the importance of reading, the question was raised, “How can we use children’s
literature to help bridge the ever growing educational gap?”

The “Ready
for School” curriculum was developed using familiar children’s literature, such
as “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and
“The Very Hungry Rabbit.”

Using
literature, the children are taught colors, numbers and shapes as well as basic
language, math, motor and social skills.

The book
of the week is read to the children, and they are introduced to learning
activities associated with it.

At the end
of the class, each family receives a book to take home along with appropriate
learning materials.

As the board
books are handed out, the children are taught to ask with “Please” and then
respond with “Thank you.”

Most
children hug the books to their chests with huge smiles on their faces.

Volunteer
teachers from area churches, many who are retired educators, are the backbone
of the program as they help the preschoolers and parents learn to count, color,
sort, cut and create.

They
become friends and language partners but most important they build
relationships and become community.

The
program would not be possible without such faithful and dedicated volunteers.

In the
program, parents learn English along with the children. They often use their
phones to video the story or songs in order to practice at home.

Bafrau,
an Iraqi mother, said, “My son, Besha, loves to come to class. When we first
started, he didn’t speak and was very shy. But after two years in the program,
he sings the songs at home, can count, knows his colors and will be ready for
school.”

As transportation
is often an issue for refugees, the “Ready for School” classes meet in four of
the apartment complexes where refugees live. The families can simply walk to
class.

Each year,
we end the 20-week program with a family reading fair. The families receive a
small bookcase, which the preschoolers personalize with foam stickers. The
families then are invited to select donated books to add to their home library.

Karen Morrow is a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel ministering among internationals and refugees who have been forced to flee their home countries due to violence and persecution and are being resettled in Texas.